East Village Bookstores in the ’90s: See Hear, Harris Books, Tompkins Square Books

When I was fifteen, I spent most of my time — when I wasn’t babysitting, drinking wine coolers, or making out with acid-heads on rooftops — looking for zines, Philip K. Dick novels, and religious books in bookstores around the East Village.

Some Thoughts on Cool Points

From PhotoBucket

Kara, thanks so much for posting that photo from EMP and for the link to those people talking about the panel. And good questions! 

I never felt like a cool girl in the 90s. Mainly, I was just trying to have adventures and make out with guys I had crushes on. And I had a lot of crushes.  I spent my free time making a lot of mix tapes and reading a lot of books.

Yes, I found a BK fanzine when I was a teenager, but I didn’t find a CD until much, much later.

Meanwhile, Neal scored every single bit of radical feminist, experimental, Kill Rock Stars music that existed, even though he lived in the woods of East Texas. Learning that gave me a lot more respect for the Sam Goody outlets in the Piney Woods and made me think I was pretty lazy in my culture-questing.